The Scents of the Autumn

We describe scents as “autumnal” – but what does that actually mean? What does autumn actually smell like? At Dexter & Mason, we’ve been thinking about this, as we’ve been putting together our Autumn Collection of scented candles. Here are some of our favourite fragrances of the fall…

Bonfires

Bonfires aren’t strictly an autumn smell – but perhaps because of 5 November, we associate outdoor fires with this time of year. If you can add the smell of potatoes baking in the embers, even better. It’s also the season for sweeping up fallen leaves and clearing our gardens ready for winter. There’s also something about the way the smoke drifts through the cold, misty autumn air that’s deeply nostalgic.

Fallen leaves

Rotting vegetation and mud? Mmm, lovely… Why do so many of us like the smell of autumn woodlands? We don’t usually get so excited about dying leaves! It’s simply down to association. As we wrote about in an earlier blog, smell is closely linked to memory our olfactory bulb passes through the part of our brain that processes memories, and for many of us, fallen leaves remind us of happy childhood days. Who doesn’t love kicking through piles of leaves? (And who doesn’t still do it…?)

Berries and apples

That richly sweet scent of blackberries is a real autumn smell, and we’ve been burning our Blackberry & Bay candle most evenings. After the lighter food of summer, comfort food starts to creep back into our kitchens; and there is nothing like the smell of the season’s first blackberry and apple crumble. Other favourite autumnal food smells (according to our family straw-poll, anyway) include butternut squash soup, toffee apples, and pork casseroles. And then we got completely sidetracked reading these gorgeous autumn recipes…

Rockpools and the sea

Yes, we know that rockpools featured in our summer smells list – but they become something subtly different in the autumn. Because we’re lucky enough to live on the Welsh coast, we spend a lot of time in the autumn and winter walking Dexter and Mason across windswept beaches. The smell of the autumn sea is stronger, infused with more seaweed as the waves are stirred up. It’s windier, so there’s that matchless scent of fresh sea breezes. Recreate this smell at home with our Rock Salt & Driftwood candle.

Fireworks

The smell of fireworks seems to split people into two groups: those who think the sulfur element absolutely stinks, and those who love fireworks so much, they don’t mind the smell of rotten eggs mixed with smoke (and often, rain). For most of us, it’s a once-a-year smell, so is definitely evocative of the autumn – and it’s especially lovely combined with the scents of bonfire toffee and mulled cider…

Leather

For the next autumn scent, we move indoors. This may be more of an ideal than a reality; however, the smell of leather armchairs, open fires, old books and a rich claret feels inherently autumnal. It’s the smell of comfort and cosiness, of the Danish hygge. A candle or two is essential for this cosy atmosphere, of course – and we’d recommend our Cuban Tobacco & Oak scented candle.

It’s a lovely time of year, and we hope you enjoy our autumn range of candles. If you’d like to know more about our other products, have a look at our complete range of scented candles, or drop us a line for a chat.